Queer highlights of this year’s Golden Globe Awards
The 80th Golden Globe Awards took place last night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The following is a round up of queer highlights from the event.
Out gay comedian Jerrod Carmichael hosted the awards which aired on NBC and Peacock after the network chose not to air it last year amid controversies over the lack of diversity amongst the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Carmichael made mention to the controversy by stating “I’m here because I’m black…(HFPA) did not have a single black member until George Floyd died” during his opening monologue. Apparently, viewers liked what they heard as Carmichael began trending on Twitter after his comments.
Queer presenters at this year’s ceremony included Colman Domingo, Harvey Guillén, Niecy Nash-Betts, Billy Porter and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. LGBTQ+ allies Nicole Byer, Natasha Lyonne and Jamie Lee Curtis also served as presenters in addition to beloved gay icon Jennifer Coolidge, who also walked away with the trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her work on The White Lotus.
With respect to the awards themselves, Cate Blanchett was the big winner of the night, as far as LGBTQ+ viewers were concerned, for her role in Tár, winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of the fictional lesbian conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Zendaya was awarded Best Actress in a Television Series for role in the queer-favorite Euphoria. Michelle Yeoh won for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once in which she plays the mother of a queer daughter. Ke Huy Quan who played Yeoh’s husband in the film also won as Best Supporting Actor in any Motion Picture. Evan Peters won Best Actor in a Limited Series for his role in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Shows prominently featuring queer storylines and talent also did well at this year’s awards with House of the Dragon winning Best Drama and The White Lotus taking the award for Best Limited Series. Famed gay producer and writer Ryan Murphy was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of work and took the opportunity of honoring Rodriguez in his acceptance speech.
Some upsets for the night included Brendan Fraser and Jeremy Pope (of The Inspection) both losing to Austin Butler (Elvis) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture. Fraser, of course, has had Hollywood buzzing for months with his comeback performance in The Whale, a film about a reclusive obese gay man. However, the actor made it very clear that he would not attend the Golden Globes despite his nomination due to allegedly being groped by Philip Berk, a former president of the HFPA. It is unclear whether or not this had anything to do with the outcome as Fraser, by far, is expected to walk away with all of the major acting trophies this season.
All controversy aside, its good to see queer stories making such headway in Hollywood, although it would be great if more members of our own community could start to play these roles that seem to be resonating so deeply with the viewing public.
For a full list of Golden Globe winners check out The Hollywood Reporter.
